Book match dispenser



Jan. 31, 1961 Filed Aug. 18, 1958 J. BULGER ETA]. 2,970,027 1300K MATCH DISPENSER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS JOHN BU LGER -JOHN CONNER Jan. 31, 1961 J. BVULGER ETAL BOOK MATCH DISPENSER Filed Aug. 18, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS ATTQQATV J. BULGER ETAL 2,970,027 BOOK MATCH DISPENSER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ////4 'IIIII/III/I/I/IIII/II/IIII/IIIII/IIIIIIIIZIIIIII/Il 2 ,u I

Jan.'31, 1961 Filed Aug. 18, 1958 gmw United States Patent BOOK MATCH DISPENSER John Bulger and John Conner, both of 156 Newton St., Brooklyn, NY.

Filed Aug. 18, 1958, Ser. No. 755,516

1 Claim. (Cl. 312-42) tity of said books in position to permit a single book to be dispensed swiftly and easily. For example, in the household it is conventional practice to buy an entire carton of match books, and ordinarily, the match books are left loose in a drawer, or are kept in the carton. In either instance, considerable inconvenience results, since .the match books are not readily available, and if left exposed directly within their associated carton, present an'unattractive appearance.

Then again, match books are conventionally dispensed with packages of cigarettes or other tobacco purchases.

Again, the match books are ordinarily kept within their associated carton, and the same inconveniences noted in connection with household use are present here, also.

Still further, when a match book has been partially used, one may desire to leave it in a convenient location, and such location does not exist if one is required to return the partially used match book to the carton. Further, leaving the partially used match books at different locations in the household, in a haphazard manner, does 'not represent any solution to this particular problem.

In view of the above, it is proposed to provide a dispenser for match books which will eliminate the several inconveniences noted above. More specifically, it is proposed in carrying out the invention to provide a match book dispenser which will be designed particularly for holding a stack or a plurality of stacks of match books,

in a manner such that the match books will automatically feed to a dispensing slot or opening, where there will be, at all times, a single match book available to be removed by a user.

A more specific object, in connection with the wallhung modification of the invention, is to provide a device that can be attached to the wall of a kitchen or other room of the house, to have the match books available, at all times, ready for use, with the construction being designed to provide a ledge on which partially used match books can be kept.

Another object, in connection with the form of the invention supportable on a horizontal surface, is to adapt the device for commercial use, that is, the device may be kept upon a cigar counter of a store, to facilitate the free dispensing of matches during the purchase of various tobacco products.

Still another object is to provide a dispenser of the character described that can be made in any of various sizes, so as to accommodate match books holding fifty matches, match books holding twenty matches, and match books (holding either of these quantities) which are of slightly larger than standard size.

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Still another object is to so "form the .device that it can be manufactured at a very low cost, from inexpensive, readily obtainable material, such as a thin sheet metal, or plastic.

A further object is to form the device in such a manner that it will have a considerable amount of surface area available for advertising purposes or the like, particularly in connection with the form of the invention used in commercial establishments.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which the various "novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of one form of dispenser formed according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view thereof, match books being shown in supported position.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on the same scale as Fig. 3, taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 3, portions being broken away. I

Fig. 5 is a front elevational view of a modified construction, match books being shown in supported position, parts being broken away. I

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view substantially on line 6-6 of Fig. 5. I r

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view on line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of another modification,

"match books being shown in supported position.

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view on line 9-9 of Fig. 8. I

Fig. 10 is a transverse sectional view on line 10-10 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 11 is a transverse sectional view on line 11-11 of Fig. 8, in which the parts are shown in full lines during the dispensing of a book of matches, with the dotted lines showing the normal position of an ejector arm Fig. 12 is the blank of the backing plate used in the device of Figs. 8-11.

Referring to the drawings in detail, in the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1-4, the device is adapted for disposition upon a horizontal support surface S. The device has been generally designated 10, and may appropriately be considered as constituting two main components, a stand generally designated 12 and a match book housing generally designated 14.

The stand 12 comprises a single length of wide, flat sheet material bent to include a horizontal, wholly fiat base 16 in contact with support surface S, a vertical rear leg 18, a front legit) also vertically disposed butsubstantially shorter than the leg 18, and rearwardly upwardly inclining extensions 22, 24 of legs 18, 20 respectively. I

The extensions 22, 24 are soldered or otherwise fixedly secured as at 26 to the underside of the bottom plate 28 of match book housing 14. The housing 14, as seen from Fig. 4, is in the shape of an elongated, wide tube of rectangular cross section, adapted to hold match books B in two rows, each row containing match books lying one upon another. The match books may be fed into the open rear end 39 of housing 14, and can be simply removed in a group or stack from a conventional carton, not shown.

In any event, the housing is straight, and is inclined correspondingly to the inclination of the extensions 22, 24, so that the match books feed gravitationally toward the "front wall 32 of the housing. As clearly shown in Fig. 3, at its front end the housing is slightly beveled or cut away diagonally as at 34, at opposite sides of a large opening 36 disposed immediately above the wall 32. Opening 36 extends across the front of the housing, fully from side to side thereof as clearly shown in Fig. 2, thus to facilitate extraction of a match book B disposed immediately in engagement with wall 32 at the location of the opening 36.

The top wall 38 of the housing is also wholly flat, and is in a plane parallel to that of the bottom'wall 28. Side walls 40 of the housing are in parallel, vertical planes normal to the vertical planes of the legs 18, 20.

It will be seen that the device can be cheaply made, and can hold match books of various sizes, with the device being readily positioned upon a counter or other supporting surface S, in a manner such that a match book can be easily grasped and removed from the open front of the dispenser. As the supply nears exhaustion, additional match books can be fed into the housing through the open rear end thereof.

Of course, for the purposes of the present applicaton it is not essential to specify particular dimensions, and in fact it is not proposed to limit the protection by specifying said dimensions. However, it will be apparent that the device can be made in any of various sizes, so as to hold both standard size book matches and match books of larger than standard size. Further, the device in each instance can be made to hold the match books that contain fifty matches, or alternatively the smaller match books holding twenty matches.

In Figs. -7 there is shown a modified construction generally designated 42, adapted to be hung on a wall W by means of a conventional support hook H. The dispenser 42 can be used, thus, in the kitchen or elsewhere within the household to hold match books B.

In this form, the device includes a backing plate 44 which is wholly fiat, and is of rectangular outer configuration, being elongated in a vertical direction so as to lie flat against wall W. Adjacent its upper end, and medially between its opposite sides, plate 44 has an opening 46, which opening is adapted to receive the hook H.

At its lower end, plate 44 is integral with a horizontally, forwardly projecting support ledge 48 which extends the full width of the backing plate, and which is formed at its front, free edge with an upwardly projecting, low lip or abutment 50. The dispenser is open at its opposite sides, immediately above the ledge, so that one can conveniently place partially used match books upon the ledge.

Fixedly secured, as for example by spot soldering 52, to the backing plate 44, a short distance upwardly from the ledge 48, is a match book housing generally designated 54. This extends vertically, and is wholly open as at 56 at its upper end, to permit side-by-side stacks of match books B to be positioned through the open end of the housing. The housing has a front wall 58 lying in a plane parallel to the plane of the backing plate 44, and integral with the front wall 58 are side walls 60 extending the full length of the housing. Integral with the lower ends of the side walls is a bottom wall 62 which projects forwardly from the backing plate.

The bottom wall 62 terminates short of the plane of the front wall 58. At its lower end, the front wall 58 in turn terminates short of the horizontal plane in which the bottom wall 62 lies. There is thus defined a dispensing opening 64 extending the full width of the device, with said dispensing opening extending below the supported match books, as well as upwardly in front of the lowermost books of the stacks. One can thus readily insert his or her finger to remove a match book, after which the stack gravitates to locate additional match books in the opening, ready for dispensing.

Again, the sizes of the device are not critical, since obviously the device can be so made as to hold any number-of match books, either side by side or in a single 4 stack. Further, the books can be the fifty-stick, or the twenty-stick type, and can be either standard or larger than standard size.

In Figs. 8-12 there is shown another modification, generally designated 66. This form of the invention is somewhat similar to the second form, in that it is adapted to be supported from a wall W. In this form of the invention there is provided a backing plate 68, wholly flat and of rectangular configuration, having at its upper end, medially between its opposite sides, an upwardly projecting, rounded extension or tab 70 formed with an opening 72 through which is extendible a lag screw 74 or equivalent fastening element, whereby the device is secured to the wall with the backing plate 68 in face-toface contact with the wall.

:Integral with and projecting forwardly from the opposite side edges of backing plate 68 are side walls 76, and these are disposed in parallel, vertical planes normal to the vertical plane of the back wall 68. Integrally formed upon the front edges of the side walls 76 are confronting flanges 78 which extend the full length of the side walls, and which lie in a common vertical plane parallel to that of backing plate 68. The flanges 78 terminate short of one another, so that over the full length of the housing, there is a wide, open-ended slot 80 which provides full visibility of the stack of book matches B, whereby one can immediately determine whether the stack needs replenishing.

As will be noted, the side walls 76 at their upper ends are flush with the upper end of the backing plate 68. However, the side walls at their lower ends 82 terminate short of the lower end 84 of backing plate 68.

Referring now to Figs. 8 and 9, integral with and projecting forwardly from the lower end of the backing plate or back wall 68 is a rectangular bottom wall 86, the front edge of which terminates in the vertical plane of the flanges 78. The bottom wall 86 lies in a horizontal plane, and supports the several match books B.

The termination of the side walis at a location spaced above the bottom wall 86 defines side openings 88 at the lower end of the housing, and also defines a front opening 90 which communicates with the lower end of the wide slot 80 as clearly shown in Fig. 8. In other words, the housing at its lower end is open at three sides, namely, its two sides and its front. The lowermost match book B is thus exposed at opposite sides of and at the front of the housing.

In this form of the invention there is a means for com veniently ejecting partially the lowermost book. This is shown to particular advantage in Figs. 8 and 11. Integrally formed upon one side edge of backing plate 68, at one of the open sides of the housing, is a spring arm 92, constituting an ejector arm. The spring arm extends forwardly from the backing plate, and terminates short of the front of the housing, the free or distal end of the arm 92 being formed with a laterally inwardly projecting finger 94.

Arm 92 is normally tensioned to extend obliquely to the plane of the backing plate 68, in the dotted line position of Fig. 1 1. In this position of arm 92, the ejecting finger 94 thereof is disposed wholly exteriorly of the housing and thus will not interfere with the gravitation of the books B within the housing.

However, assuming that it is desired to obtain a match book, one merely, with one finger, presses the spring arm 92 inwardly from its dotted to its full line position of Fig. 11. This causes the ejecting finger 94 to engage the lowermost book B, and shifts said lowermost book laterally, to the left in Fig. 11 so that the book at its other end projects partially through the other open side of the housing. There it can be grasped for complete removal either through the open front or through the open side of the housing.

When match books are packed in a carton, they are in an alternating relation, thatis, each match book has its abrasive-provided end located oppositely to the corresponding ends of the match books immediately adjacent thereto. The match books, thus, are packed in the manner shown to particular advantage in Fig. 8.

For this reason, arm 92 will engage one book at the wider end thereof as shown in Figs. 8 and 11. The next match book to be dispensed, however, will be engaged at the smaller, abrasive-provided end. For this reason, the ejector arm is no greater in width than is sufficient to engage the smaller end. This width will be sufiicient, however, to also engage a larger end and cause partial ejection or dispensing of the match book. The ejector arm thus does not extend the full height of the opening 82, but rather, extends for only half that height, as will be readily noted from Fig. 8.

In Fig. 12 there is shown the blank from which the device of Figs. 811 is formed. A single piece of sheet metal material can be employed, and said piece is readily cut and bent to shape, without the necessity of any soldering connections, screw-type connections, etc. This reduces the cost considerably and it will be noted that one need merely bend the blank along inner vertical lines 96 that define the opposite side edges of the backing plate 68. This provides the side walls 76. Then, the side walls, adjacent their forward edges, are bent along vertical lines 98 to produce the flanges 78.

At its lower end, the back wall 68 is bent along a transverse or horizontal line 100, thus providing the forwardly projecting ledge or bottom wall 86. Immediately below one of the side walls 76, the blank has a narrow arm 92, which is bent along a line 102 to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 11. The arm is then bent once again along a line 104 to provide the finger 94.

It is apparent that in this way, the blank is readily fashioned into a completed device shown in Fig. 8, and said device, though devoid of anysoldering connections and formed entirely from a single piece of material, is nevertheless provided automatically with the spring ejector arm 92 and the ejection slot or opening disposed directly opposite said arm.

In all forms of the invention, the device is characterized by its relatively low cost, its ease of manufacture, and its adaptability to provide an attractive dispenser capable of holding a substantial quantity of match books.

While we have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of our invention, it is to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to the precise constructions herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

A match book dispenser comprising a hollow metal stand having a bottom wall, and front and rear walls, the rear wall being longer than the front wall, rearwardly inclined extensions on the top of the front and rear walls, said extensions disposed in the same angular plane, a fiat wall seated on and secured to said extensions whereby said flat wall is disposed at an angle to the horizontal, upstanding side walls along the side edges of said fiat wall, an upstanding front wall along the front edge of said flat wall, said front wall terminating short of the top of the rear wall, a flat wall extending across the space between the top end edges of the side walls and constituting a top wall, said angular flat wall, side walls and top wall defining a housing for holding match books in stacked relation, said top wall terminating short of the front ends of said side walls providing a dispensing opening for the match books, said front wall serving as an abutment for said match books, the rear of said housing being open.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,293,434 Hines et al. Feb. 4, 1919 1,466,923 Barbieri Sept. 4, 1923 1,485,716 Rogers Mar. 4, 1924 1,668,171 Pratt May 1, 1928 1,694,930 See] Dec. 11, 1928 2,228,775 Morgan Ian. 14, 1941 2,582,155 Pedersen Jan. 8, 1952 2,730,231 Ryan Jan. 10, 1956 2,799,399 Cannon July 16, 1957 2,805,111 Jarnot Sept. 3, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 13,110 Norway July 18, 1904 26,922 Austria Dec. 27, 1906 98,131 Switzerland Mar. 1, 1923 131,422 Switzerland Apr. 16, 1929 

